Clouds or Storms?
by Wishing pelt
Summary: A fire, a fire changed a kits destiny forever. The kits name was Stormkit, Stormkit has a hard decision to make, Stormclan the clan it was born in or Cloudclan the clan it had grown up in? But secrets are made and kept and suddenly everything doesn't look as it seems


**•*•*• Prologue •*•*•**

Night had settled upon the cats of Stormclan, the quarter moon settled high in the midnight black sky, with Starclan in the sky watching over the sleeping bodies that were in the shape cats. Trees swayed in the slight breeze that roamed around the camp and the surrounding area, while owls hooted in the distance. Rainstar, the troubled leader of her proud clan Stormclan, was out on a evening stroll that had led her to a pond that laid a few tail lengths away from the camp entrance. She stared into the crystal clear pool desperately wishing that things could be different.

She couldn't sleep with the constant threat of Cloudclan looming over them from the very beginning, she stared at her reflection thinking back to the day that the war between the clans had started, the day the clans changed derastically. She closed her eyes while a big gust of wind swept around her, she fluttered open her eyes to see the old Stormclan camp, and a younger looking her. She stood in the middle of the clearing, yet no cat could see her, she was just a Starclan cat to them.

**_*•*Several moons ago*•*_**

_"Rainstripe!" Lightningstar, the leader at the time called for his deputy. Lightningstar was a bright golden color with light yellow stripes running down his back, and hazel eyes. _

_She padded over to where Lightningstar stood in his den," I'm going to go along a border patrol along the Cloudclan border, I have gotten quite a few reports of their cats crossing the border," he informed her," I'm going to have you be in charge of the camp until I get back," he ordered, his hazel eyes beaming into her bright blue ones._

_She nodded her head in confirmation and they both left his den, he padded out of camp, by himself. Rainstripe sat in the clearing waiting for the patrols to come back from their evening border and hunting patrols._

_"Rainstripe!" A voice rasped from the entrance, Rainstripe flashed her glance towards the entrance of the camp to see the border patrol from earlier almost dead. To say the clan was shocked was quite an understatement. Rainstripes eyes were the size of boulders, 'wasn't this the patrol that went on the Cloudclan border?' Rainstripe thought to herself. _

_Wounds covered their hollow bodies as ears were torn and clumps of fur were pulled out. They looked like they had gone through a fight to the death, and they had barely survived. _

_"Wha-what happened?" Rainstripe asked the question every cat was wanting to know, knowing in the back of her mind that Lightningstar had just padded out of camp to go walk that same border._

_"I-I-it was Cloudclan, the-they want a huge part of our territory. Of course we said 'no' then the-they attacked us, almost their whole clan," Dawnfur rasped while breaking into a fit of coughing after she had finished explaining._

_Quickly Sunpool and Brindlepaw, the two medicine cats of Stormclan, made their way to the cats with cobwebs and herbs loaded in their jaws. Quickly they tried to patch up what they could of the cats._

_Rainstripe panicked,"Um... Light-Lightningstar just went over to check that same border!" She yowled to Dawnfur._

_"Go! You need to get him back NOW!" She yowled to Rainstripe._

_"STORMCLAN! GATHER HERE WE NEED TO GET LIGHTNINGSTAR NOW!" She yowled not even saying the correct words to gather the clan, there just wasn't enough time._

_Quickly the cats sprinted towards the Cloudclaclub order where Rainstripe came into view. It was like a war was about to begin as Cloudclan stood on one side of the border and Stormclan stood on the other side each one growling at each other with sharp teeth baring._

_Rainstripe stepped forward, eyes blazing with anger," Riverstar! What is the meaning of this?!" She yowled to the young leader._

_Riverstar slowly padded her way to the front of her clan drawing out every step," The meaning of what Riverstripe?" She purred, her eyes showing no emotion._

_"Where. Is. Lightningstar?" She hissed at Riverstar not sparing any time to getting to the point._

_"That old fleabag? I think I might have did your clan a favor," she purred at Rainstripe, humor lacing her voice as she spoke._

_"WHERE IS HE?" Rainstripe growled at Riverstar loudly._

_Suddenly Cloudclan spilt into two groups down the center, making a path for Riverstar to go down. Slowly, yet gracefully she made her way down the path until she reached the back. By then Stormclan couldn't see what she was doing._

_But, when Riverstar returned, every cat in Stormclan stared in shock at her and the body that laid in front of them all. Riverstar cackled evilly. Rainstripe growled loudly then turned and launched herself at Riverstar, the young leader dodged her attack easily by stepping to the side, Rainstripe crashing into the ground in front of the Cloudclan cats._

_She scrambled to her feet and launched herself at Riverstar again, this time she landed on Riverstar's back, only to be smushed against the ground when she rolled over._

_"Why?!" Rainstripe cried, to which Riverstar only laughed tauntingly._

_"This is a fair warning of what is to come dear Rainstripe, or I guess it's now Rainstar, you have 3 days exact to comply with my agreement or have your whole clan will be wiped out completely," she turned to look Rainstripe in the eye._

_Her emerald ones gleaming into Rainstripes bright blue ones," Give us the back edge of the woods, up to the border of your territory and in return we will not wipe out your clan," Riverstar stated._

_Yowls of protest rang around the ranks of the Stormclan cats, Rainstripe stood up proud and tall and growled at Riverstar," How about I make my decision now? I choose...," the moment of pause she took had every cats eye on her, every paw and tail twitching in anxiety, until finally she spoke her answer," NO," it rang around the clearing loud and clear._

_There was a second of silence that covered the whole clearing, every bird had suddenly stopped singing their melodies, every tree had stopped brushing through the wind, every cat stood perfectly still, not moving an inch. But each side held death glares._

_The sun was starting to set, blazing the sky with the colors of crimson red and autumn leaf orange, soon to be the color of the soon to be battle field. All any cat waited for to strike was the blood curtling yowl that would send the clans into a fight to the death._

_Every cat growled at each other lowly, hissing threats and baring their sharp teeth. Each of the every cats gazes held anger and hatred. _

_Suddenly Rainstripe couldn't take it anymore and she lept at Riverstar, claws unsheathed and yowled the battle cry that every cat had been waiting for. _

_"STORMCLAN! ATTACK!" She yowled to the clan that was standing behind her and instantly cats started to run at each other from both sides, then they blended as one as each one tared the other apart. _

_Riverstar didn't move away fast enough and was knocked over by Rainstripe, Rainstripe then sunk her sharp teeth into the shoulder of Riverstar making her yowl in pain and hatred._

_Riverstar then flipped onto her back squishing Rainstripe in the process. Rainstripe was pinned on the ground with no where to turn or run, that's when Riverstar lunged for her throat. Rainstripe then kicked Riverstar with her hind feet as hard as she could, Riverstar landed against a tree, her body falling to the ground in a heap of fur. The cats surrounding them still fighting, they weren't paying attention to the deputy and the leader. _

_Thunder rumbled from above, no cat had noticed that dark clouds had formed in the red and orange sky, the sun had finally set in the distance, the sky began to turn black. Rain splattered against the cat's bodies making their fur cling to their bodies. Each cat looked threatening, teeth bared and growls rumbling from each of the cats throats. _

_The rain fell harder to the ground as Riverstar slowly hauled herself to her paws and looked at Rainstripe with a hard cold gaze," This is just the beginning Rainstripe, let this battle be a warning of what's to come," then the clan disappeared as another flash of lightning lit the darkened sky, but Rainstripe couldn't make her paws move, they wouldn't. She was left standing their, letting the rain pour down her body as she was at a loss for words at what had just happened. _

_*•*•*•_

Suddenly Rainstar was back to looking at her reflection in the pond, she swiped her paw against the surface, waves rippling from where her paw had just whipped across the surface of the crystal clear water. The moon reflected back at her through the pond this time, it shined pure white through the night sky. Suddenly Rainstar smelled something that seemed off about the forest.

She peered into the forest, swiping her gaze over everything before finally settling her gaze on an orange glow that lighted in the distance. Rainstar instantly thought that it couldn't be dawn yet, it was in the middle of the night. Suddenly the glow grew larger, and Rainstar found it more difficult to breath. Instantly it clicked, it wasn't dawn, it was a fire! Trees started to crack under the heat of the fire, leaves burning leaving orange and red flames lapping in their place.

Rainstar instantly whipped around and bounded into the forest. She ran, trees looked like shades of green as she raced against the burning flames that were destroying the forest. She dodged the rocks and trees that came tumbling down from the heat of the fire, she avoided the logs and twigs that lied on the ground reaching to trip her paws that were pounding against to grass. Her eyes flashed for any signs of camp.

Finally she found the bramble that covered the camp entrance she slipped inside and quickly alerted everyone with a blood curtling yowl," EVERYONE OUT OF CAMP! A FIRE IS NEAR!"

Cats started to groggily wake up from their slumber, their bodies still ajusting from being in the middle of their sleep.

"Can't this wait till morning Rainstar?" her deputy, Silvermist, called from the warriors den.

"If you want to die it can," Rainstar shot back," there is a fire right outside camp!" She yowled to the surrounding cats.

Suddenly a tree snapped and fell to the ground creating a loud THUD! The ground shook from the force of the impact. Every cat looked in the direction of the crash and saw a golden haze in the distance.

Instantly cats flooded out of dens, scrambling into the clearing where Rainstar stood with her dark eyes flashing on every pelt of the cats counting them," where do you want us to go Rainstar?" Silvermist asked in an urgent meow.

"Head north towards the lake that splits the territories, lead the clan there and wait for me to come, I'm going to make sure every cat is out and by the lake," Rainstar called out to her.

She nodded her head once in confirmation that she had heard the orders and then bolted out the camp entrance and headed north towards the lake.

By now you could hear the fire snapping the trees in half. Smoke started to flow through the air in the camp.

"Help! Someone help! Stormkit is stuck!" A worried queen named Shallowstripe, called out in a frantic yowl.

Rainstar instantly bounded over to her to see that the kit had somehow gotten caught in a tree on a branch, the scared kit was dangling from it by its front paws, fear blazing through the kits bright green eyes, it mewed for help. Rainstar leapt into the air while unsheathing her claws. She dug her claws into the bark of the tree, she looked up to see the kit dangling right above her head. She used her paw to lower the branch, but the kit let go. It just couldn't hold on any longer.

Shallowstripe wailed in fear for her kit, Rainstar pushed off of the tree and reached for the falling kit. She parted her jaws and stretched her paws out. She grasped the kit firmly in her jaws by the scruff and her paws landed on the ground with a loud THUD!

"Go! Get to the clan!" Rainstars voice was muffled by the kits fur.

Shallowstripe took one last glance at her kit before bounding away towards the lake where she would be safe from the burning blazes.

Rainstar quickly checked every den for any cats that might have been left behind, she found none. The kit mewed in her jaws, the blazes of red and orange surrounded the camp along with the smell of smoke.

Rainstar kept finding it harder and harder to breath in the smoke that covered the camp like a blanket. She tried using her paws to run from the fire, but they collapsed from under her making her fall to her chest. The kit tumbled from out of her jaws sliding farther away from Rainstar as she went into a fit of coughing, her body desperately in need of air.

Rainstar tried getting to her paws to go grab the kit and run to the lake for safety but she soon found that she just didn't have the energy. She was drained of it. Her head soon came in contact to the ground as she passed out from lack of oxygen, she knew partly that she had just failed Shallowstripe and her clthe for the kit had just tumbled into Cloudclan territory.

**_•*•*Cloudclan•*•*_**

Back in Cloudclan territory Riverstar was sitting in her den, finishing off the last remains of the vole she had ate for her meal. The clan seemed calm enough, cats sharing tounges while little kits played among the clearing. Riverstars gaze softened as her gaze met her only kit, Tigerkit. The leader was about to make her way to her kit when suddenly Poppydawn, her deputy, came bursting through the entrance of the camp, her eyes flashing urgently around looking for Riverstar.

She finally spotted the leader,"Riverstar! A cat has been scented on our territory!" She urgently told the leader, blocking her path to the kit.

The leader sighed thinking she had already told Poppydawn and the whole clan of what to do if a cat was found on their territory," Poppydawn you know what I've told you about cats who have intruded on our territory," Riverstar stated in a bored tone.

"Yes I know but it's a kit!" Poppydawn tried to reason with the strict leader.

At this news the leaders ears perked up in curiousity," lead me there," the leader ordered to her deputy who had already started to pad away towards the entrance of the camp.

Poppydawn bounded over to the Stormclan border where the kit laid with ashes apon its fur. Its scared eyes nervously flashed around trying to figure out where it was. Parts of its fur were scorched from the lapping flames of the fire.

Riverstar glared at the border as if she were waiting for Rainstar or Silvermist to go claim the kit, but no cat appeared on the border. It was eerily silent for having one of their kits on their territory.

Riverstar padded towards the kit and took a sniff as if to recongize the scent, she did as she smiled evilly. She knew exactly what she would do.

"What are we going to do with it?" Poppydawn asked cautiausly while glancing at the small kit with a wary glance.

"We are going to keep it," Riverstar informed her deputy while grabbing the kit by its scruff," they will trade the territory for this kit."

"What's your name kit?" Poppydawn asked in a soft tone.

"Stormkit," the kit answered in an almost as whisper.

Riverstars silent laughter rumbled through her chest at the kits name that matched its former clans name. The kit mewed almost as a response.

**_•*•*Stormclan•*•*_**

Silvermist knew something was wrong when the moon was starting to dip in the sky and Rainstar was still not back from searching the camp for other cats.

"My kit was with her!" Shallowstripe wailed to no one in particular.

Every cat had a uneasy feeling in the pits of their stomachs, one question burned in each of their minds: where was Stormkit and Rainstar?

Silvermist finally decided she would go look for the two cats, she ran through the burnt forest and looked urgently for Rainstar, she finally landed her gaze on a cat body that didn't appear to be moving. She bounded over to the body and found the familiar fur color to be...Rainstar. But the kit that Shallowstripe had said to be with Rainstar wasn't there.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

**So this is the prologue for my new story! Hope you like it! Review on what you think of it please**


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